Steve Prefontaine was born in Coos Bay, Oregon in 1951. During his life, Steve Prefontaine became an internationally acclaimed track star and an American hero. Don Kardong wrote in RunnerÆs World that Steve Prefontaine, or Pre as he was known to his fans, held every American running record from 2,000 meters to 10,000 meters, and from two miles to six miles at the time of his tragic death in 1975 (52).
Steve Prefontaine had a number of admirable qualities. He had a rare combination of natural talent, discipline, and determination. Bob Wischnia listed Pre in RunnerÆs World among the best of runners in the world (76). Pre is quoted as saying: "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."
Steve PrefontaineÆs life involved controversy. Pre took part in a fight with the Amateur Athletic Union, the AAU. The AAU scheduled major events that funded their operations, and it paid the athletes almost nothing.áAmerican athletes like Pre eventually rebelled because they received no money from the AAU. The money would have helped fund their training against their international competitors.á
Also, in order to travel overseas to compete, American athletes were requires to get a permit from the AAU. If the AAU had scheduled an event that competed with the planned trip, it would reject these requests hoping the athletes would compete in the AAU events and bring more money and prestige to the AAU. For example, the AAU ruled in 1973 that no American amateur athlete could compete abroad during the ten days before the AAU nationals, or for the five days before any international dual meets.á
Pre thought this arrangement was unfair to the athletes. Pre felt if he had to finance his own training and transportation, he should be able to decide what events he competed in. Eventually, in 1974, Pre announced that he was not going to run in the AAU championships. His comments were that the AAU does not care abou...